Establishing the premise:

An average Nigerian isn’t maintenance conscious when it comes to the affairs of the cars they own, they make up excuses like high cost of maintaining these cars, the lack of time to carry out maintenance procedures and unavailability of good and trustworthy mechanics. This might actually be true in some cases, but another reason behind the apparent dip in our vehicle-maintenance attitude can be partially traced to the proliferation of second-hand cars popularly referred to as ‘tokunbo’, which most car owners procure (more than 90% of Nigeria’s total car population according to Businessday, 2010).

The main problem isn’t the procurement of these classes of cars, but the attitude and perception; as some perceive their current cars as temporal while in wait for more expensive brand new cars or as already old cars not worth spending on. Either way, they place very low value on cars which are comparatively cheaper to buy (with brand new cars in view) hence; they tend to avoid spending on such cars from day one and even intentionally refrain from providing the proper care required.

So here is a point-blank scenario to further explain the poor car maintenance attitude; a typical Nigerian will head to his mechanic workshop only when his/her worn out tyre induces anomalies like high fuel consumption and handling issues; but maintaining proper inflation pressure of the tyres could have prevented such. Another one is over-heating issues; they might be ready to invest in double-cell radiators instead of switching bad thermostats and maintaining proper levels of coolant and water in their stock car radiators, the list is endless.

The market: A fairly experienced amateur car technician can get paid by effectively handling day-to-day maintenance and car documentation ought to be performed by the car owners themselves, however on a prompt basis that will ultimately reduce the car owners’ trips to actual mechanics for larger spending (which can be avoided).

Scope: the areas that can be carried along; routine tyre checks, a/c filter, radiator coolant, waxing, battery charging (voltage checks), basic preventive maintenance, vacuum cleaning, car washing. Avoid core technical activities that might conflict with what their trusted mechanics perform with specialized tools and very specific expertise.

Modus-Operandi: get the skills first, establish the brands you deal on, standardize/structure your services with fixed or flexible payment system and then proceed to establish your network by building trust [pick your neighbourhood due to proximity and familiarity].

Real-life barriers: before you can handle other people’s car you need to have spent quite some time to truly understand how cars work so you make a fool of yourself. Consider apprenticeship and mentoring.

Marketing and promotion: consider witty posters and flyers; but the most effective means of making headway is face to face interaction with actual car owners and prospective clients. Remember your major selling points should be ‘convenience’ and ‘prompt’ basic routine checks which should be carried out by car owners themselves.

Challenges to expect: Nigerians are overly practical; hence they only part ways with their money if you solve a problem they might be encountering. Most might perceive your services as unnecessary but it’s up to you to convince them otherwise. What this means is that you have to stay firm and focus in making your services to be perceived as being convenient and being a sure way to avoid preventable breakdowns. Don’t hesitate to offer free demonstrations. The key to succeeding is consistency and fairly stable rates.

Get empowered now!
Source: http://autobaseafrica.com/making-money-as-a-neighborhood-mechanic/